Responding to new analysis by the Health Foundation on the NHS elective waiting list in England, Royal College of Nursing Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said:
“Ministers will try to use strikes as an excuse for their failure to cut waiting times, but the very reason nursing staff took action is because of the rapid deterioration we witnessed in recent years.
“The bottom line is that this was a crisis that started over a decade ago with serious underinvestment in the NHS and its workforce.
“This deplorable neglect has left an ever-growing number of people suffering as they wait for treatment. There is a chasm between the number of patients needing treatment, and the number of nursing staff available.
“Nurses have been crystal clear that government promises to cut waiting lists are empty without investment in the nursing workforce. If the Prime Minister wants to stand by his word, we need to see investment in the nursing workforce in the Autumn Statement.”
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